Always By Your Side
by RosexScorpius4ever
Summary: A series of one-shots written about Teddy Lupin and his relationship with his family, especially his best friend Victoire Weasley.
1. Alike In Many Ways

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N:** Hey, I'm back again and this time with a far more appropriate story xD This idea has been bugging me all day so I've decided to give in and write it! Hope you enjoy!

**Far Away**

By LilyxJames4ever

Chapter 1 – Alike in Many Ways

As the sun began to set over Shell Cottage, seven-year-old Teddy Lupin and five-year-old Victoire Weasley showed no sign of weariness as they continued to chase each other around the beach.

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" Victoire chanted. She ducked behind an aging stone that despite being weatherworn, its epitaph remained visible.

Teddy, growing increasingly frustrated, glared at her. To his confusion, she let out an alarmed cry.

"Your hair!" she squealed.

"What? What's wrong with it?" he asked anxiously, touching it. It felt the same as it always did to him.

"It's – It's red!"

Teddy gaped at her. Running over to the water, he looked at his reflection in alarm. Before he could dwell too much on it though, it returned to its natural sandy brown.

"How'd you do that?" Victoire asked in amazement. "It looked just like grandma Molly's hair!"

Teddy blinked at his reflection, unsure of himself.

"Dad said my mum could do it. Meta-something or other." Not wanting to dwell on it he added, "Come on, let's go colour!"

As the weeks progressed, Teddy's hair colour changing became something of a routine. He didn't try to make it happen but whenever he felt extreme emotions such as anger or happiness it would turn colours like red and yellow, respectively. He grew increasingly bothered by it, though Harry told him it was no matter. It was apparently typical for children his age to show more signs of magical ability than they used to. Teddy didn't like it though, he felt it made him stand out more so than normal.

"Pass the red," Victoire said as she and Teddy lay on a picnic blanket colouring one afternoon.

Teddy obliged and watched as she coloured her father's hair red. They were drawing pictures of their family. So far Victoire had completed herself and her younger sister Dominique but not their parents. He noted the bulge of her mother's stomach in the picture.

"What?" she asked, sensing his stare. "Why haven't you started your drawing?"

Teddy shrugged guiltily. "I don't know who to draw."

"Your family, silly!" she laughed as though he had said the most absurd thing in the world.

"Which one?"

Victoire was silent. Then, to Teddy's surprise, she replied:

"Your alive one."

Teddy didn't know why but suddenly his eyes were burning with hot tears. Throwing his crayon down, he left Victoire lying on the blanket and ran into the cottage where his parents were.

Running over to his father, like he always did, he buried his face in his legs.

"Ted?" Harry said, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Teddy shook his head, not wanting to speak in front of the whole room of people. The entire Weasley and Potter clan were there, including his Weasley grandparents.

He knew his dad would be looking at his mum for guidance right now. His dad didn't always know how to handle crying children and now was one of those times.

He could hear them whispering and finally, much to his surprise, he heard light footsteps from behind him. He looked up to see Victoire standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Why'd you run off Teddy?" she demanded, confusion filling her cute features. He looked away from her.

"I don't want to talk to you," he mumbled into his father's trousers. "You shouldn't have said it."

"Teddy!" his mum said in shock. "You shouldn't talk to Victoire like that!"

Teddy lifted his head again and glared defiantly at his mum.

"I should to! She shouldn't have said it!"

"What did she say sweetheart?" his granddad Weasley asked softly. Out of all his Weasley relatives, he felt closest to his granddad. He never raised his voice and always treated Teddy as though he was truly part of the family.

"I didn't say anything wrong," Victoire said, stamping her foot angrily. "We were drawing our families and he asked which one he should draw and all I said was to draw his alive one!"

There was a stunned silence in the room, broken by an outraged cry.

"_Victoire_!" cried Fleur, Victoire's mother. "Vous, mauvaise fille! You shouldn't be so eensensitive!"

"It's true though!" she said, defensively. "He has two families, one of them that happens to be de –"

"Enough," her father, Bill Weasley said. "Victoire, apologize to Teddy."

Victoire looked at the forlorn boy who had been her best friend since the day she was born. He had started crying again so she went up to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry Teddy," she said. "We're still best friends, right?"

He nodded silently after she let go.

"Go to your bedroom Victoire, I'll meet you there shortly," her father said. She scampered off, leaving Teddy alone with the adults again.

The room was silent, as though no one knew the right thing to say. To Teddy's immense surprise, it was his father that broke the silence.

"Walk with me?"

Teddy nodded. Grabbing his father's hand, the two of them walked out of Shell Cottage and down to the beach. To Teddy's confusion, they walked to the very spot where Teddy and Victoire were playing tag not too long ago. He noticed his father looking wearily at the slab of stone that read:

Here Lies Dobby

A Free Elf

Teddy didn't know who Dobby was but knew he must've been important to his father so he asked:

"Did you love him?"

Harry looked down at his godson, who was much more like a son, and nodded slowly.

"I took him for granted," Harry said, delicately. "He protected me numerous times and in the end, lost his life saving me and my friends."

"He died a martyr Ted." Upon seeing his godson's confused look he explained. "He died fighting for a cause he believed in. Much like your parents."

He moved closer to the shoreline and sat down on the sand. He indicated for Teddy to sit on his lap, much like he did when he was younger. Sighing, Harry watched the waves ripple and stared out to the horizon.

"Your parents died heroes, Ted," said Harry softly. He was the only one Teddy allowed to call him by his proper birth name. "I know you're still too young to understand this but I promised to explain to you one day…"

"Promised who?" interrupted Teddy, speaking for the first time since they were by the grave. He swallowed. "My parents?"

"You've always been quick-witted for your age," teased Harry, ruffling his godson's hair. "Yes, I promised your father specifically that one day when you're older I would tell you how they died and what they died for."

"I'm old," said Teddy anxiously. "Tell me now!"

"Ted –"

"Please," Teddy begged. "At least tell me so I know why I'm the black-sheep in the family."

Harry stared at him in shock.

"Why would you say such a thing?"

Teddy looked guilty. "I erm – overheard Uncle Percy –"

Harry's eyes flashed with anger, swearing to confront his brother-in-law about this later. He turned to his godson seriously.

"Teddy, you are not the 'black-sheep' in the family. I don't know why your uncle would say such a thing. You're as much a Potter and Weasley as the rest of us."

"I don't have the hair," said Teddy, looking downcast. "I look nothing like the rest of you."

"That may be true but you're like us in a different way. In here," Harry said, pointing to where Teddy's heart was, "is where you're most like us. That's where the similarities matter."

"Besides," Harry continued, "you should be proud of your appearance. You're the spitting image of your father."

"Really?" said Teddy, perking up slightly.

"I should say so. You even inherited his love for chocolate," Harry smirked.

Teddy smiled. "You still haven't told me what they fought for."

Harry sighed. "It was dark times Ted, very dark times. Around this time seven years ago our world was bracing itself for the largest, most devastating battle that would result in many lives lost, including that of your uncle Fred and your parents."

"They fought for equality Ted. So all Witches and Wizards could live peacefully in a world where all children could be safe. They fought to make the world a better place for you to live in."

Harry reached out and wiped his godson's eyes. Teddy hadn't realized that he had been crying again until he did so. He hastily wiped his eyes again.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm being silly."

"You're not," said Harry seriously. "This pain you feel, we've all felt it Teddy. We've all lost someone we loved and this pain you feel, the fact that you _can_ feel it is your greatest strength."

Teddy nodded, not fully understanding but knowing what his godfather was saying was probably right. His godfather was always right.

"Can they see me?" he asked Harry quietly. Harry nodded.

"They would be so proud of you, son. And if it helps, they're never really gone."

"But they're –"

"Yes, I know they're not _physically_ here with you like they ought to be but bear in mind, the ones that love us never really leave us. You can always find them in here." He pointed to Teddy's heart again and Teddy could feel warmth spread through him.

"How do you know?" Teddy asked.

"It took me awhile," Harry admitted. "But ultimately it was through the help of my godfather, my old Headmaster, and the unexpected help of an old professor that led me to realize this."

Teddy nodded, accepting this answer.

"Are you feeling better?" Harry asked his godson.

"Yes," said Teddy truthfully. "Shall we go back inside?"

Harry nodded and watched as his son stood up and offered a hand. To Teddy's confusion, Harry threw his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

Harry shook his head in amusement. "Nothing really, I'm just starting to realize how old I am." He accepted Teddy's hand and stood up himself. He still towered over Teddy.

"You still look the same to me," Teddy grinned, and Harry smiled nostalgically. Then, to both of their surprise, Teddy's hair turned jet-black and messy just like his father's. Harry smiled.

"Some things never change, eh?"

Not letting go of each other's hand, the two walked back to Shell Cottage, smiling at the fact that for the first time since he was born, Teddy looked like both of his fathers.

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A/N: I hope you like it! Parts of this were very hard to write (such as the end) but hopefully it turned out all right =D Please leave a review!


	2. Special Place

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**A/N:** You may have noticed that I've changed my penname again. I'm sorry if this creates any confusion!

**Always By Your Side**

By RosexScorpius4ever (previously LilyxJames4ever)

Chapter 2 – Special Place

About a year had passed since Harry and Teddy's conversation at Shell Cottage. Although at the time it had helped dissuade Teddy's feelings of being an outsider in the family, those feelings were quickly returning.

"Are you excited?" asked Victoire, his best friend. She was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet anxiously.

"Not particularly," shrugged Teddy uncomfortably. He didn't like being in hospital waiting rooms. Seeing people come in with random arms and legs sticking out of inappropriate parts of his or her body unnerved him.

"Why?" she asked. She was now at that age where everything had become a question. It greatly irked Teddy who, like his father, was a naturally quiet person.

"I just don't see anything exciting about another kid in the family. Things are fine the way they are! Besides, Louis was just born and he's a handful as is."

He was referring to the newest Weasley, Victoire's baby brother. He was only a couple weeks old and already more trouble than Bill and Fleur had anticipated. Mind you, Victoire's younger sister. the middle child, Dominique was also a handful at her "terrible two" stage…

"But this is _exciting_!" she squealed. "You're going to be a big brother just like I'm a big sister!"

"At least your siblings look like you," muttered Teddy, and Victoire shook her head.

"Dom has red hair! If anything, it's Louis and me that stand out in the family with our Veela hair! At least you can change your hair to match the rest."

Teddy shrugged again. He didn't like the idea of having a little brother or sister for one simple reason: It meant that he was no longer the only child in his godfather's life.

He knew it was somewhat silly of him but he couldn't help but realize that once Harry and Ginny had a child of their own who was _actually_ their child, he would no longer be important. He didn't have that special connection to the two of them like their soon-to-be-born child would and that worried him greatly. His grandmother had died barely half a year ago and he had been living with the Potters. Where would he go if they didn't want him anymore? He had no other family…

"Mate, calm down," said Ron, breaking Teddy from his nervous thoughts. "Ginny'll be giving birth any moment now."

"What if something goes wrong?" asked Harry anxiously, pacing back and forth throughout the waiting room. He tugged at his hair anxiously. "What if it's a girl? I don't know anything about girls!"

_A girl wouldn't be that bad_ thought Teddy. _If it's a girl I'll still be the only son in his life!_

Feeling better about the idea of having a little sister, Teddy resumed playing tag with Victoire.

"Victoire! Venir _aci_!" Fleur demanded (**A/N: Sorry if this isn't grammatically correct, I'm using Google translate**).

Victoire sulked over to her mother just as the Healer who had been helping Ginny deliver the baby came out.

"Is she okay? Are they okay?" asked Harry frantically.

The Healer smiled at him.

"Congratulations Mr. Potter. You have a healthy baby boy."

Teddy's heart sank as all those around him congratulated a beaming Harry. They all followed him into the room Ginny was in, Teddy bringing up the rear as he dragged his feet.

"He's beautiful," gasped his aunt Angelina, stroking her own very pregnant belly.

"Thank you," Ginny smiled. She was positively glowing as she handed the newborn to Harry. "What shall his name be?"

Harry looked at Ginny in surprise.

"I can name him?" She nodded, smiling.

"So long as I can choose his wardrobe, you have free reign for naming him."

"Something tells me you'll regret that choice Gin," smirked Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked at the baby boy.

"He has my father's eyes," he said, softly. "And the same colour hair as Sirius…"

Ginny smiled. "James Sirius Potter, prankster extraordinaire. Sort of has a nice ring to it, eh?"

Everyone laughed but Teddy couldn't take it anymore. Before anyone could stop him, he tore out of the room crying.

Unsure of where he was going, he just dodged legs since he was still rather short for his age. Before he knew it, he was in the tearoom, crouching underneath one of the tables, tears silently streaming down his face.

He didn't know how long he was sitting there before he saw a pair of polished shoes appear in front of the table. They halted for a moment but then the owner of the shoes crouched down so he was eye-level with Teddy. Teddy had an intake of breath.

"Hey," said Harry. "Can I join you?"

Teddy shook his head. "You're too big."

Harry smirked slightly.

"Size is relative. I can remember being your age and hiding from my cousin Dudley under the kitchen table. This can't be all that different." Determined to join him, Harry sat down and slid himself under, ducking his head as he was too tall.

"See?"

Teddy didn't bother laughing at the ludicrous picture of his father trying to fit under a table far too small for him.

"How did you find me?" Teddy finally asked.

"I may be getting older but being an Auror does require me to stay in shape. I hate to break it to you, Ted but my legs are longer than yours."

Teddy fixed his gaze on the floor.

"You should be with your son. Don't worry about me."

Harry was silent for a moment.

"You're my son too, Ted. My first son."

Teddy shook his head. "James is your real son. You just took me because you made a promise to my dad. I'm not really your son."

Harry looked at Teddy seriously.

"Don't you remember what I told you, Ted? I may not be your biological father but you're as much my son as James is. I love you both equally and _nothing_ will change that!"

"Do you promise?" Teddy asked, holding out his pinky. Harry had once told him that in the Muggle world the pinky promise is the type of promise that no one dares to break.

Harry extended his pinky and shook Teddy's.

"I promise. You'll always have a special place in my heart that will never be taken by anyone else."

Teddy smiled, his hair turning bright yellow in the process much to Harry's amusement.

"Let's go back to the others," he said, getting up and offering a hand to Harry. Harry smirked and accepted it.

"I should be the one helping you up, not the other way around!"

"Well, you are getting older," teased Teddy. Harry ruffled Teddy's now turquoise hair.

"Don't push it, son." The two of them made their way back to the hospital room where the others were still gathered.

"Sorry for running off," Teddy apologized, sheepishly. Ginny smiled at him.

"That's all right. Would you like to hold James?" she asked, and Teddy nodded eagerly.

She made Teddy sit down and then Harry placed the baby carefully in his arms. Teddy looked down at the baby in wonder.

"Was I ever this small?" he asked, causing the entire room to laugh.

"Smaller," smirked Harry. "And your hair was changing every five seconds."

Teddy grinned, looking down at James again.

"Would the family like a picture with the new-born?" the Healer asked, kindly. Harry nodded, lifting the baby out of Teddy's arm and giving him back to Ginny so they could crowd around her.

"Say Hippogriff!"

"Hippogriff," the entire Weasley/Potter clan chorused, Teddy's smile the biggest of them all.

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A/N: Please review!


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